2024 is a big year for CLASH. It’s been twenty years since the magazine’s inception. Twenty years of covering an incalculable number of songs and albums. Twenty years of listening, recording and archiving music history.

At the heart of the publication is discovery. We discover through back-and-forth dialogue – through open-ended discussion that reflects each member of the team’s quirks and insular listening habits. In the spirit of discovery, we’ve a curated halfway collection which covers a wide spectrum of projects released from January through to July this year. It’s allowed the CLASH team to recognise albums that may just miss out on a spot in our end-of-year list (Q4 is unforgiving.)

We recognize post-breakup releases that have tugged at the heartstrings, that have provided relief or elation during periods burdened by collective torpor, and releases that have evocatively captured the revolutionary spirit of our times.

Take a trip down memory lane and peruse a list of 50 albums we believe are the most tangible emblems of imagination, and inspiration, in a dynamic year for music.

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Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood

An album where virtually every single note is worth cherishing, ‘Tigers Blood’ feels carefully hewn, and exceptionally curated. ‘Crowbar’ – “I left your heart of glass in an unmade bed” – is like honey on the ear, but there’s savagery in the lyric as she broaches a “paradox poetic”. The slumped strut of ‘The Wolves’ carries a quiet but enduring confidence, while closer and title track, ‘Tigers Blood’, learns to broaden its spell, additional voices helping to expand and intensify Waxahatchee’s vision. It’s a potent closer, with each part allowed its own identity, unified by Katie Crutchfield’s brilliant lyric and her palpable sense of purpose. A warming end, to an endlessly engrossing record. Robin Murray REVIEW

Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter

Beyoncé’s early albums established her as a hitmaker and a generational performer, but were uneven, and at times, palatable works. For over a decade, Bey has unswervingly defended, reconfigured and reinvented the album format in her image. ‘Cowboy Carter’, the second of a purported trilogy, is a cumulative rendering of her past eras; the resplendent vocal detail of ‘4’, the avant-garde production idiosyncrasies of ‘BEYONCÉ’, and the interiority and racial consciousness of ‘Lemonade’.

Initially, Beyoncé’s omnivorous approach feels overwhelming but the blunt force impact gives way to a tactile aural world; the first half is all scenic immersion by the way of rootsy, clear-eyed confessionals, and the second, full of off-piste deviations through Southern rock, go go, Black gospel hymnody, funk and house. This archival veracity is a key feature of ‘Cowboy Carter’’, but the real truths of this tome lie in personhood: in Beyoncé’s bloodline, her divinely-ordained voice and spirit, the gospel, the dance and the communion. And that can never be contained or effaced. Shahzaib Hussain REVIEW

Adrianne Lenkar – Bright Future

One of the hallmarks of Adrianne Lenker’s lyricism is her ability to disrupt narratives and view emotional situations from unexpected angles. So, let’s begin this review at the end: ‘Bright Future’ is an astonishing album, a feast of emotional dissonance that ties your heart into a thousand knots. Without doubt one of the finest, most complex statements to come from Big Thief’s universe of continual creativityit’s a singular cycle of poetic achievement, backed by production that isn’t so much unvarnished but digs down into the wood’s very seed with the nails of her bare hands. The way she plays with words – the “fall-ING” of ‘Vampire Empire’; the “ru-INNED” of final song ‘Ruined’ – suggests a total belief in her lyrics, but also a realisation that language alone is an inadequate vessel for emotional truth. It’s heartbreaking, but somehow you can’t stop listening. Robin Murray REVIEW

Tyla – TYLA

Honeyed on the ear, TYLA’s debut album opens with a flurry of highlights. ‘Water’ oozes charm, while ‘Truth Or Dare’ has a teasing edge over those amapiano drums. Interpolating fresh elements within her potent elixir, she’s able to remain true to her roots while expanding ever-outwards. Closing with a run of golden moments – the arena-worthy ‘Priorities’, the bold finale ‘To Last’ – this feels like a real statement, one worth savouring. On the surface, all is shimmering and light, TYLA’s breathtaking sense of control illuminating the record with refulgent emotion. Alongside this, though, is a desire to push the boundaries – both shockingly immediate and with immense replay value, TYLA’s debut album taps into the Springtime energy to produce one of 2024’s most insistent projects. The world is hers. Robin Murray REVIEW

Charli XCX – BRAT

On her sixth studio album, Charli XCX comfortably reaches into the extremes of her catalogue, presenting one of her most subversive and conceptual bodies of work to date. ‘BRAT’ ushers in a revolt back to her roots. Across fifteen tracks, the visionary stretches her artistry in all its forms; the production is future-facing, the songwriting strikes with precision and the visuals and iconography have become corporeal emblems of transient pop culture. From beginning to end, ‘BRAT’ is an album that seeks to drown out the noise, only to find that there’s only so much that partying can remedy. Ana Lamond REVIEW

Mk.gee – Two Star & The Dream Police

There’s an immersive quality about Michael Todd Gordon’s debut album that instantly strikes through. Each track is submerged in a nocturnal wash of acoustics, playful in its use of distance, textures and melody. Take cinematic opener ‘New Low’, dropping its spotlight on Mike’s upper register whilst layering warbled notes beneath flickering, industrial interjections. Dissolving into the dreamscape of ‘How many miles’, a softer, slower facet of the album, the track is pinned down by a hook that riddles through yearning and escapism. Sonically, ‘Two Star & The Police’ is able to defy the traditional conventions of a ballad or a torch song, whilst reaching for a magnetic vulnerability. Ana Lamond REVIEW

A.G. Cook – Britpop

A.G. Cook’s three-part, 24-song odyssey is an agenda-setting, genre-bending vision of pop music, blurring the lines between nostalgia and innovation, past sounds and future-facing experimentation. Cook seems to understand the power of juxtaposition, seamlessly blending diverse elements to create a rich and dynamic sonic landscape. For example, on ‘Pink Mask,’ his voice emerges like a crackling ember amidst an eerie choir, weaving fantastical non-sequiturs (“Frost on the stained-glass window / membranes stacked in the catacombs”) into a dreamlike spiral that diverges sharply from the familiar terrain of the preceding tracks, carving out a distinct space of its own. Bryson Edward Howe REVIEW

Matt Champion – Mika’s Laundry

On much of Matt Champion’s debut solo album, microscopically intricate gems freighted with wonder and possibility that take sharp detours, pin-dropping the listener into an interdimensional expanse leagues away from where they started. The industrial-trap clamour of ‘Gbiv’ sounds familiar and self-referential for much of its runtime, but halts to a stop before morphing into a cosmic symphony of strings, keys and harp; on ‘Slow Motion’a powerhouse collaboration with BLACKPINK’s Jennie Kim, the pair fashion a beguiling K-drama soundtrack about starstruck lovers out-of-sync.

‘Mika’s Laundry’ is a petri dish of imported ideas, titles and allusions that form a new Arcadia. Grasslands, insects, flora and fauna coexist in a time lapse of harmony, elemental destruction and renewal: a loose allegory for Champion’s personal transformation from passive boy band member to an artist embracing their quirks. Shahzaib Hussain INTERVIEW

Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us

A kaleidoscopic culmination of their finest merits, ‘Only God Was Above Us’ is a polished, experimental summation of Vampire Weekend’s world of reverb and socially-conscious indie pop. A cacophony of sounds synonymous with whirring funfair music tie the record even more so with the bright and warm summer imagery; slightly bent discordant notes hit sweetly familiar spots and brim with nostalgic comfort, adding a new adventurous dimension to the New York band’s repertoire. Decades on from their first steps as Vampire Weekend, ‘Only God Is Above Us’ is an elegant encapsulation of joy, sincerity and a feeling of believing in and offering calm amongst the chaos. Maddy Smith REVIEW

English Teacher – This Could Be Texas

‘This Could Be Texas’, the Leeds band’s grand debut album, is nearly an hour of sprawling realised potential. It’s precisely English Teacher, even though it’s a conglomeration of writing from a far longer time period than ‘Polyawkward’. ‘R&B’, with its themes exploring genre and musical assumptions is just one of a number of moments on ‘This Could Be Texas’ in which frontwoman Lily Fontaine finds herself drawn back to reflections on belonging. “It was the result of psychoanalysing myself a bit,” Fontaine explains, “but there did seem to be this overarching theme throughout all of it, about home. I’ve spent a lot of time displaced, living in various different places and different houses, and the notion of what ‘home’ means seems to crop up a lot. I use the frame of the hometown that I grew up in as the background for those ideas.” Ims Taylor INTERVIEW

Clairo – Charm

Claire Cottrill’s third studio album is a fully-fledged children’s crusade into soul and jazz with horns, piano, percussion, and organ. Recorded, mind you, mostly in analog. In all of her eleven tracks, she flawlessly switches between sadness and inspiration, earnestness and Mac DeMarco-ish goofiness, enlivened through the playful synths of ‘Slow Dance’, and between the cracking hooks and the grandiose piano notes in ‘Terrapin’. Ultimately, ‘Charm’ still sounds like exemplary bedroom pop but with gorgeous production and tons of vintage vignettes. Paradoxically, by departing from the origins of homemade pop, she returns to her roots stronger and more evolved. Igor Bannikov REVIEW

The Lemon Twigs – A Dream is All We Know

The Long Island brother duo’s fifth studio album’ is punchy and perfected, with a vast soundscape achieved through the painstaking process of analogue recording. The warm, crisp layering of each of the track’s elements combine to create an old school composition, bursting with lush, bright melodies that are a far cry from the more leaner, introspective musings of 2023’s ‘Everything Harmony’.

“This album had a more joyful feeling that was a little bit less steeped in reality than our last album,” Brian shares. “’A Dream Is All I Know’ is also one of the songs we liked the most, so it became a working title. Once we got the cover and the layout it was kind of surreal, we just thought it was the perfect title.” Becca Fergus INTERVIEW

The Smile – Wall Of Eyes

Back collaborating with old sparring partner Jonny Greenwood and drummer Tom Skinner – who has bona fide jazz chops having helmed percussion with Mercury-nominated outfit Sons Of Kemet (amongst others) – ‘Wall Of Eyes’ is a record that feels like the stopping off point of a journey. It bristles with invention, and the sheer joy of music making, while being pinned in one place by the sort of emotional gravitas Thom Yorke’s vocals have risen to claim as their own. ‘Wall Of Eyes’ highlights the stunning musicality that bonds these three audio technicians; a record defined by a curious sense of tension, it makes for immaculate listening. Rob in Murray INTERVIEW

Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven

‘Sometimes’, a gem from Philadelphia band’s masterwork ‘I Got Heaven’, is an energy-fuelled booster that laces pop aspects with punk energy. The song seems to pull in multiple directions at once, giving it a unique tension. Writhing its way to the singalong finale, ‘Sometimes’ feels perfectly tailored for their sweat-drenched live shows. Elsewhere, ‘I Don’t Know You’ aims for simple thrills, the lyrics detailing the infectious energy of a crush – hoping to bump into someone, allowing your mind to spiral off into fantasies. Robin Murray NEWS

Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft

Following up two GRAMMY-acclaimed albums at the age of 22 is a tough feat, but it’s one Billie Eilish has managed with gusto on her third collection, ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT‘. Announced with no pre-released singles, the record abounds in a more organic-sounding repertoire, with guitars, drums and gorgeous strings complementing Eilish’s soft vocals. She succeeds with the onus being on the collection as a whole, as opposed to throwaway hits. The album builds on the premise of 2021’s ‘Happier than Ever’, which saw Eilish begin to map out and document an identity in flux. She explores her sexuality on ‘LUNCH’, relationship breakdowns on ‘BLUE’, and thorny bodily transitions on ‘SKINNY’. These coming-of-age reflections are balanced with up-tempo moments, particularly on TikTok favourite ‘LUNCH’. On ‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT’, it’s evident Eilish is conveying a musical restraint beyond her years, moulding an identity to her image and not the ephemeral pop game. Amrit Verdi REVIEW

Jessica Pratt – Here In The Pitch

Each new album from Jessica Pratt feels like a gift. The songwriter works at her own speed, ensuring that each message is imbued with a remarkable sense of emotional accuracy. Third album ‘Quiet Signs’ landed in 2019impressing with its frosted arrangements and baroque flourishes, stripping her art down to its core in the process. Long-awaited follow-up ‘Here In The Pitch’ isn’t exactly fulsome, but it certainly pivots to broader sonics. Framed by aspects of Laurel Canyon songwriting, 60s pop, and even bossa nova, it’s a warmer, richer experience blessed with aspects of pure magic. Closing with the jazz chording of ‘The Last Year’, this is a record that revels in brevity, a project that ensures each part connects neatly to the next. A gorgeous example of her beautifully sombre world-building, ‘Here In The Pitch’ is another remarkable example of Jessica Pratt’s unique artistry. Robin Murray REVIEW

Yaya Bey – Ten Fold

‘Ten Fold’ continues the documentation of Brooklynite Yaya Bey as a fallible figure and a work-in-progress. ‘eric adams in the club’ is the cheap dancing-through-the-apocalypse thrill, taking aim at amoral politicians and hoarding landlords, the mordant line “cause the world might be on fire, so dance this shit is dire” rings out in an airy paean to the east coast Eden. On the bluesy interlude, ‘me and all my n*****s’, Bey reminds her troupe of survivors their fortitude is divinely-ordained and on ‘slow dancing in the kitchen’, a nebulous but irresistible take on ska, Bey fashions a daybreak display of warm Sunday intimacy. Throughout, Bey channels the destabilising loss of her father and its attendant grief into something transcendent yet eminently relatable. ‘Ten Fold’, like the best journeying album, takes you along for the ride whilst serenading your anguish. Shahzaib Hussain REVIEW

Bring Me The Horizon – ‘POST HUMAN: NeX GEn’

Twenty years into their career, Bring Me The Horizon have dabbled in just about every corner of the heavy world, from the gristly gutturals of their murky deathcore debut to the experimental pop metal might of ‘amo’. So, it only makes sense that they’re forging their own path this time round. Their seventh studio album, ‘POST HUMAN: NeX GEn’, exists in its very own futuristic world of overstimulated metalcore. Brimming with quirky production, hidden secrets, and an immense level of depth, ‘NeX GEn’ is a rich, intricately-crafted experience. Interweaving distorted sonics into the guts of brutal metal and post-hardcore, ‘NeX GEn’ harnesses nostalgia and transforms it into something fresh. The record traverses glorious bursts of post-grunge, emo and even woozy alt-metal, yet every flavour has a modern flare. Even features from scene heroes Glassjaw and Underoath are delivered with a ‘NeX GEn’ twist. Underoath collab ‘a bulleT w/ my namE On’ sounds like a frazzled remix of an Underoath track, while ‘AmEN!’ places Glassjaw’s Daryl Palumbo’s post-hardcore vocals alongside the smooth emo rap of Lil Uzi Vert. Emily Swingle INTERVIEW

Brittany Howard – What Now

Brittany Howard has had a hugely eclectic career as guitarist and frontwoman for blues-rock outfit Alabama Shakes, earning many plaudits along the way. Her breakaway solo debut ‘Jaime’ saw her working with a wider musical canvas encompassing soul, electronic, jazz and pop elements. ‘What Now’, released in February this year, is similarly expansive. It carries on the shifting genres of ‘Jamie’ with something that feels loose but still connected. There is such a variety of treats for fans and newcomers to dive into across the twelve tracks here. In lesser hands, it might become overwhelming or jarring but there is rarely a style that feels out of place here. It’s an exhilarating, beguiling achievement that warrants repeat listening. Christopher Connor REVIEW

Kali Uchis – ORCHIDS

At the top of the year Kali Uchis aided our seasonal melancholy with ‘ORQUÍDEAS’, her second Spanish language album and fourth overall; a glittery celebration traversing moonlit disco, blazing reggaeton, and spellbinding soul, gifting us the first great pop record of the year. Where ‘Red Moon In Venus’ seemed to perfectly pair with the blistering heat of her debut, ‘ORQUÍDEAS’ is a seamless spiritual sequel to ‘Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)’, code-switching between English and Romance and beat-switching between sultry R&B and sunny Latin party pop. Kali is the driving force keeping this mélange from becoming messy, masterfully melding this eclectic mix of popified sounds into magic. Jay Fullarton REVIEW

Nadine Shah – Filthy Underneath

Nadine Shah has been through it. One listen to ‘Filthy Underneath’ tells you almost everything you need to know about grief, collapse, and renewal. It’s a testimony to resilience, an ode to continuation, and one that never succumbs to victimhood. Produced by long-time collaborator Ben Hillier, ‘Filthy Underneath’ is a record strewn with wild, vivid sonic detail. The rugged, ragged ‘Twenty Things’ sits against the bolshy ‘Sad Lads Anonymous’, a record whose sonic breadth is matched to the assured nature of its construction.Songs of loss and confusion, ‘Filthy Underneath’ is also marked by a certain kind of certainty. It’s as though amid all this pain, all this negativity, Nadine Shah has found herself once more. Robin Murray REVIEW

ScHoolboy Q – BLUE LIPS

Teased at the start of the year, ‘BLUE LIPS’ feels like a bona fide hip-hop event. One of the best rappers of his generation, ScHoolboy Q blends technical virtuosity with street level wisdom, all epitomised by his eagerness to break the rules. So the bars don’t add up to 32 – just slip one, add a pause, or let people fill in the blanks… he does what he wants. As such, ‘BLUE LIPS’ is an eclectic listen, a display of virtuoso rapping that fully utilises the voice as an instrument. ‘Pop’ – with Rico Nasty on board – is packed with punk-like energy; ‘Yeern 101’ by contrast is soulful and downcast, while ‘Cooties’ – a reflection on school shootings from the perspective of a parent – finds ScHoolboy Q grappling with maturation. A record that refuses to compromise, ‘BLUE LIPS’ presents ScHoolboy Q in unfiltered form. A creative accelerator, its commitment to the individual voice makes this the LA rapper’s definitive statement. Robin Murray REVIEW

Still House Plants – If I don’t make it, I love u

So what’s so special about Still House Plants? Their appeal is quite simple really: three dynamic parts in dialogue. You have Jess Hickie-Kallenbach’s low end acrobatics, a voice that will plummet and soar with cavernous soul; Finlay Clark’s largely clean guitar work, notes that cluster then phase out, or crack like ceramics; David Kennedy’s shapeshifting drums, untethered from any standard notion of timekeeping.

‘If I don’t make it, I love you’ is richer than ever before. They might patiently knead a melody, wringing out its potential from all angles, or perhaps level the ground from under us and remould the rhythmic core of rock. All of this is presented with a show-your-working starkness and a sense of flux that’s sustained and strident, never shapeless. But most miraculous of all is that despite the naked otherness of their sound, you can’t help but feel as if you’re being serenaded – or perhaps successfully wooed with a bouquet of shrapnel. Eden Tizard INTERVIEW

Elbow – Audio Vertigo

The Manchester band’s tenth studio album – recorded in Gloucestershire and London – is another winning blend of genres, showcasing a continued desire to keep redefining an already deftly-designed sound. ‘Very Heaven’ recalls elements of ‘The Take Off’ and ‘Landing’ with some of its vocal harmonies and textures; it captures the group’s palette in a single track, shifting from riffs to ethereal vocals and lighter more acoustic flourishes. Elsewhere, ‘Good Blood Mexico City’ is driven by a propulsive bassline, finding the perfect equilibrium between moods and textures. ‘Audio Vertigo’ captures elements of a decorated twenty-year career span, recalibrated into something wholly new and exciting. Christopher Connor REVIEW

Yard Act – Where’s My Utopia?

Second album syndrome must have been particularly daunting for Yard Act following their debut, which was met with both acclaim and accusations of ripping off The Fall. On ‘Where’s My Utopia?’, Yard Act began a whole new chapter. With the help of Gorillaz’s Remi Kabaka Jr, they lean more heavily into the experimental elements of retro hip-hop and disco. Nostalgia also plays an important role as frontman James Smith reflects on his childhood through the lens of a new father on ‘Fizzy Fish’ and ‘Down By The Stream’. It’s most overt on ‘Blackpool Illuminations’, a spoken-word reminiscing of childhood holidays accompanied by a string section. Of course, he brings us right back to classic Yard Act in the end: “Are you making this up?” “Some of it, yeah, why?”

‘Where’s My Utopia?’ is a musically diverse, self-referential step forward for Yard Act, who refuse to be intimidated by their debut, as Smith asks himself at the end of ‘Blackpool Illuminations’, “Why the fuck was I wondering what wankers would think of album two?” Vicky Greer REVIEW

Tems – Born In The Wild

There are voices, and then there is Tems. The Nigerian star blends the spiritual with the carnal, the introspective with the exuberant; moving between colours and emotions, she blends gospel with R&B, the afrobeats production of her peers with an international outlook. A weighty 18-track document, ‘Born In The Wild’ stands as a widescreen vision; a profound, engaging, and adventurous survey of her emotional landscapes. As much as it’s a showcase for her mellifluous vocals, the record also highlights Tems curatorial skills. The closing act of ‘Born In The Wild’ ties it all together. Pulling the rousing narrative towards its climax, songs like ‘Turn Me Up’ and ‘Me & U’ are summer burners, expertly accomplished and crisp in their execution. Closing with ‘Hold On’, thi s is a rich, velvet-smooth experience, and you’re left to wonder who her peers truly are. Robin Murray REVIEW

Arab Strap – I’m totally fine with it 👍 don’t give a fuck anymore 👍

On ‘I’m totally fine with it 👍 don’t give a fuck anymore 👍’ , the Scottish band’s eighth album and their second on Mogwai’s Rock Action label, it’s oddly comforting to see Arab Strap can be just as disappointed and acerbic as ever. They do a good job of manufacturing menace, of building a whirlpool of sound that can envelop the most bitter sentiments. In these instances, music and lyrics are working as one and it’s phenomenal. That being said, Arab Strap’s worldview seems to slightly soften. There are turns of phrase to marvel at. ‘You’re Not There’ delivers with its description of unread texts as “blue bubbles that help me believe”, referring to a friend who never knowingly left a drink behind as a ‘dreg queen’, on a track of the same name, is vintage Moffat. We have no right to expect a band to make a record this strong and vital almost three decades into their career. It’s full of piss and vinegar, but it’s full of desire, regret and love, too. Whatever the dismissive album title may tell you, Arab Strap very much still give a fuck. Joe Rivers REVIEW

The Last Dinner Party – Prelude To Ecstasy

Extravagance, melodrama, and ambition – The Last Dinner Party delivered on the hype with their formidably-polished debut album. They unabashedly go for highbrow, greedily scattering literary references, historical characters, theoretical influences, poetic techniques and classical instrumentation across ‘Prelude To Ecstasy’. It does a lot, and goes to a lot of places, both thematically and musically. It goes to too many places to conceivably be called a concept album, even though it sort of looks like one and sort of sounds like one, with all its decadence and theatricality. But the concept at its core, maybe, is just The Last Dinner Party, building their identity with every emotional and musical block they can find and make fit – it’s a delightful, towering debut that will indeed leave you ecstatic. Ims Taylor REVIEW

Rachel Chinouriri – What A Devastating Turn Of Events

If any one artist captures the current devil-may-care, genre-hopping approach to music-making, then it’s Rachel Chinouriri. If 2019 EP ‘Mama’s Boy’ served note of her intention, and 2022’s magnetic ‘Better Off Without’ upped the ante still further, then magnificent debut album ‘What A Devastating Turn Of Events’ is Rachel Chinouriri in full flight. Bold, independent, and truthful, it’s an excellent example of audio world-building, a 360 vision of her day-to-day. Working in tandem with long-time collaborator Daniel Hylton-Nuamah, Rachel has found a way to meld her influences, while never being overpowered by them. The final third of the record strips away the gloss – ‘Cold Call’ has a lo-fi intimacy, while the self-excoriating ‘I Hate Myself’ is a tough but vital listen. Moving towards the ambitious closer, ‘So My Darling’ is technically impressive – those multi-layered vocal parts must have taken months to perfect – but also emotionally gilded, a suitably grand finale for a record that is zealous in its aspirational creativity. Robin Murray REVIEW

Bob Vylan – Humble As The Sun

Looking inwards to ignite change, ‘Humble As The Sun’, the third studio album by the London punk duo, couldn’t have come at a more poignant time. Littered with affirmations – “You are more than your take home pay”, “You are more than your ability to learn”, “You are here you are now” – this is the album we need. It leaves the listener feeling power alongside their anger, and brings a fresh and compelling blend of punk, rock, grime and rap together in an experimental way. But regardless of the change in tempos, it’s no secret that Bob Vylan are still pissed off. They are pissed off at the price of life, poverty, and toxic masculinity. And the duo aren’t afraid to say what needs to be said in a way that will rile you up before freeing you. Jazz Hodge REVIEW

Vince Staples – Dark Times

Recent events in rap’s upper firmament have reinforced the conversation surrounding the so-called Big Three: Kendrick, Drake, and J. Cole. The question on this writer’s mind, however, was this: why the hell exclude Vince Staples? A figure who is perhaps comfortable being a rap outlier, he’s nonetheless created a catalogue that is – pound for pound – the equal of his peers, consistently defying expectations and crafting a unique sense of world-building. The follow-up to his outstanding opus on adolescence ‘Ramona Park Broke My Heart’, ‘Dark Times’ finds the West Coast rapper in adulthood, surrounded by the trappings of success. Succinct – an atmospheric intro, an atmospheric outro, and 10 songs – it’s bold and to the point: be careful what you wish for. It’s natural that fans will compare ‘Dark Times’ to what has preceded it but that’s perhaps unfair. More insular, ‘Dark Times’ is in many ways less accessible. That said, it refuses to let the quality dim, its endless stream of ideas enticing and perplexing in equal fashion. In emphatic style, rap’s foremost outlier demands your attention all over again. Robin Murray REVIEW

IDLES – TANGK

On first listen, TANGK – pronounced ‘tank’ – is the Bristol band’s most melancholic and melodic album. Take a deeper dive, though, and you’ll quickly find it’s also their most hopeful. This is an album preoccupied with love, joy, and perseverance. While still letting rip as only he knows how, firebrand frontman Joe Talbot also showcases a new level of vulnerability on half the tracks, his sarcastic chants replaced with a fragile croon. It’s on these that the marriage of Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich and guitarist/producer Mark Bowen really shines. The spectral textures on offer across ‘TANGK’ are undoubtedly the work of Radiohead’s ‘sixth member,’ but there’s always a threat of collapse or volatile reaction.

All in all, IDLES have taken that initial spirit that caught our imaginations and has elevated it to impressive new heights. In forty minutes, the band not only reminds listeners why they became scene heroes but also why they’re one of the UK’s most thrilling exports. For our money, it’s another home-run of a record. Sam Walker-Smart REVIEW

DIIV – Frog In Boiling Water

In June 2023, DIIV – now formed of Andrew Bailey, Colin Caulfield, Ben Newman, and Zachary Cole Smith – gathered at Los Angeles’ Echo Park to air their grievances and heal frayed relationships. And somehow it worked. This show of honesty brought the band closer together and allowed them to focus on delivering an album worthy of rivalling their outstanding output to date. Explaining the album’s title, DIIV revealed the fourth album is “about a slow, sick, and overwhelmingly banal collapse of society under end-stage capitalism, the brutal realities we’ve maybe come to accept as normal.” DIIV may be far removed from their sun-kissed early sound, but the despair and despondency offered on ‘Frog In Boiling Water’ makes for a fascinating listen. It’s mood music carrying the weight of the world on its shoulders, progressing the band even further into dark and haunted terrain. DIIV have refined their brooding vibe and produced as gorgeous a record as you’ll hear this year.Matthew Mclister REVIEW

Nia Archives – Silence Is Loud

Jungle as a sound was forged and codified before Nia Archives was born, but it’s come to define the producer’s life. Speaking up for a new generation of ravers, the Bradford-born artist has helped to spearhead a resurgence within the sound across a flurry of releases, and viral DJ mixes. ‘Silence Is Loud’ is her vision in widescreen – the long-awaited studio album, it’s an amalgam of her most potent audio impulses, a memoir in sound penned by a regal spirit in modern rave. ‘Nightmares’ is darker, letting her impulses stretch a little. Blending her penchant for club weapons with a desire for songwriting, tracks like ‘Out Of Options’ could easily work in a stripped down fashion, and fan-favourites like ‘Forbidden Feelingz’ and closer ‘So Tell Me…’ are utilised perfectly, providing ample peaks amid the formidable landscape constructed by Nia Archives. As a mission statement, ‘Silence Is Loud’ – from its title down – is virtually perfect for the producer. Exuding femme energy – she’s frequently DJ’d to women-only spaces – she taps into an often neglected aspect of jungle history, while writing a few chapters of her own. Robin Murray REVIEW

Sprints – Letter To Self

Dublin four-piece Sprints signed to City Slang in 2023, and blasted into the new year with their debut album ‘Letter To Self’, an album both brutally honest and hyper-personal. It’s a work that explores what it means to be an outsider, to look for validation, and attempt the work of overcoming self-doubt. Lyrically reflective tracks like ‘A Wreck (A Mess)’ and ‘Literary Mind’ are delivered with wild abandon, all scuzzy guitars and thunderous drums. The ebb and flow of the pace keeps the listener on their toes with lyrics that will live long in the memory. Julia Mason REVIEW

Marika Hackman – Big Sigh

Marika Hackman has really been through it. By the end of new album ‘Big Sigh’ – her first proper studio album in almost five years – you’ve experienced break-ups, grief, survival, and no small degree of teardrops. It’s little wonder she’s opted for that title; by the climax of this emotional rollercoaster, ‘Big Sigh’ is the only form of communication that satisfies. No matter the setting, however, ‘Big Sigh’ seems to represent the full maturation of Marika Hackman as a songwriter. Pointed and incisive, her work has scarcely been so full of life – ever aware of the dichotomy between light and shade, closer ‘The Yellow Mile’ carries a twinkling beauty, despite being framed by little more than voice and ukulele. A gorgeous album, ‘Big Sigh’ is a winter treat for the long January nights. Robin Murray REVIEW

serpentwithfeet – GRIP

A performance piece comprising music and dance, serpentwithfeet moves between the immersiveness of a theatrical experience and the audio-visual world on his third studio album ‘GRIP’. Enlivened by the inter-dimensional expanse of a Black queer club dominion, ‘GRIP’, conceived mostly with producer collective I LIKE THAT, skirts the underground but has mass appeal. It’s a work more attuned to the modern RnB resurgence – serpent’s subdued strain complimenting the works of Destin Conrad, Ari Lennox and Victoria Monét. These tracks don’t barrel into one other; momentum is decelerated, build-up is sustained. ‘GRIP’ is a deft balancing act between quotidian tales of domesticity, and the thrill that comes with pursuing a paramour across a sweat-stained dancefloor. Shahzaib Hussain INTERVIEW

Kim Gordon – The Collective

Kim Gordon is interacting with the world on her own terms. 2019’s ‘No Home Record’ – technically her debut solo album – ripped apart expectations. Crafted alongside producer Justin Raisen, it offered damaged electronics that seemed to shake apart the systems they were being played on. That visceral energy is what powers her excellent new album ‘The Collective’. Steered once more alongside Justin Raisen, it steps into the breach fostered by her debut but it’s more detailed, perhaps even more daring. At times, the lyrics on ‘The Collective’ are caustic, leaving these acidic stains on all they touch. Just listen to ‘I’m A Man’ with its pastiche of 21st century ultra-machismo. A blistering character study, it also roots itself in the mythos of vintage Hollywood. She’s both the cold, clini cal observer, and the central character, shaping the world around her. In a way, the record taps into the pattern her life has taken; it moves back to the shock of the No Wave erabut refuses to intersect with the past. For Kim Gordon, the future is the only option. Robin Murray INTERLIFEW

Berwyn – WHO AM I?

Berwyn’s debut album ‘WHO AM I’ is a 13-track statement of intent, a song cycle with provocative intimacy. Highlight ‘DEAR IMMIGRATION’ is a powerful spoken word creation, with BERWYN’s pen pushing back against the mainstream narratives often thrown at immigrants in this country. Unpicking self-hatred learned during his experiences with the authorities, BERWYN is able to finally look at himself in the mirror and witness his own truth. “You make me feel like a fugitive and runaway”, he says on the song, before adding, “you make me look at the mirror in horror, you took my tomorrow…I want you to know since I was nine I felt like a crime, I used to imagine you coming for me every day of my life.” Robin Murray NEWS

Fabiana Palladino – Fabiana Palladino

Exploring the tumult of a waning relationship, what emerges in the in-betweenness and after the wreckage, Fabiana Palladino’s self-titled debut is a masterclass in restraint, vocal embellishment and transportive world-building. This is music that smoulders across its breathless runtime. There is no padding here; every song feels essential, every retrofitted detail vital. Two tracks strategically positioned towards the end, have me in a choke hold: ‘Deeper’, a number furnished with luminous synth stabs and sustained harmony, and the percolating, programmed haze of ‘In The Fire’. Tightly-woven but endlessly rewarding, Fabiana Palladino has delivered the most potent pop collection of 2024. Listen for a dose of sonic panacea. Shahzaib Hussain REVIEW

Black Ice Cream – PHASOR

Helado Negro eighth full-length was born from a five-hour birthday visit to Salvatore Matirano’s SAL MAR machine at the University of Illinois. Entranced by the complex generative synthesiser, he emerged completely inspired. “It gave me special insight into what stimulates me,” he explains. “This pursuit of constant curiosity in process and outcome. The songs are the fruit, but I love what’s under the dirt. The unseen magical process. I don’t want everybody to see it because not everyone cares to see it. Some of us just want the fruit. I do. But I want to grow the fruit, too.” Love song ‘I Just Want To Wake Up With You’ and Spanish language single ‘LFO’ were early preludes, but dreamy reverie ‘Best For Me And Me’ is the highlight, revelling in that feeling of home, wherever it may be found. The Impressionistic lyrics look at country vistas, with Helado Negro framing this with some gorgeous, somnambulant sonics. Robin Murray NEWS

Julia Holter – Something In The Room She Moves

On ‘Something In The Room She Moves’, Julia Holter broke with the past, immersing herself in creativity at its most fluid,’ aiming for the organic, in tune with the physical. “There’s a corporeal focus, inspired by the complexity and transformability of our bodies,” she said. “I was trying to create a world that’s fluid-sounding, waterlike, evoking the body’s internal sound world…” The track ‘Spinning’ exemplifies both her process, and its execution. Mystifying and otherworldly, it could only come from one artist: “What is delicious and what is omniscient?” she sings, “What is the circular magic I’m visiting?” Julia Holter says: “It’s about being in the passionate state of making something: being in that moment, and what is that moment?” Robin Murray NEWS

Empress Of – For Your Consideration

Whereas 2015’s ‘Me’ was a requiem for doomed romances, ‘For Your Consideration’, Lorely Rodriguez’ first full effort since leaving XL Recordings, is a bolder exploration of pop’s electronic soundscapes that shuffles turntablism and low-key escapism into chromatic highs that linger on the lips for weeks. It’s evocative and like much of Empress Of’s entire discography, it’s a reconfiguration of laptop material and pop expectations. It subverts heartbreak, makes it sexy, and silhouettes a continuous desire to distort dancefloor traditions with experimental come-ons. If her latest is any proof, Rodriguez is finally comfortable with herself – not just as a writer who excels at leaving melodies on your tongue, but as a lover, a dancer, and her own shooting star. Joshua Khan REVIEW

Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Past Is Still Alive

The candid nature of their extensive back catalogue has meant that Hurray For The Riff Raff’s Alynda Segarra has already provided listeners with a stark insight into their personal history. Raised in the Bronx before a youth spent hopping trains found them settling in New Orleans, Segarra’s prominence in the folk scene allowed them space to lay themselves bare in song. And yet, on ‘The Past Is Still Alive’ we are treated to a thoroughly different experience, where Segerra not only visits, but interrogates her past; stitching together the links between broken beginnings and malfunctioning adulthood. Nestled amongst some of her most nuanced and carefully placed moments of Americana and joined by a host of backing singers and musicians from Connor Oberst to Hand Habits‘ Meg Duffy, Segarra manages to take solace in the fact that while we are victims of our formative years, there is always scope to heal. Craig Howieson REVIEW

Arya Starr – The Year I Turned 21

If Ayra Starr’s debut album ’19 & Dangerous’ marked the emergence of a bold, fully-formed pop talent, then ‘The Year I Turned 21’ is a graduation ceremony. Laden with colour, light, and vitality, this song cycle finds the Nigerian artist speaking her truth. Constructed as a kind of long-form television series – think an HBO epic and you’d be close – each song moves into the next, the narrative closely controlled. Everything about Ayra Starr’s come-up has been expertly managed. From the first moment we heard her, there was something about this Nigerian artist that stood apart from her peers. ‘The Year I Turned 21’ displays this emphatically – broad, in-depth, and held together by her singular sense of purpose, it’s time the world cherished this blossoming star. Robin Murray REVIEW

Towa Bird – American Hero

Across ‘American Hero’, British-filipino artist Towa Bird vividly captures the trials of her early twenties as a queer woman; a potent snapshot of foreboding, passion and introspection. Generation-defining acts such as The Beatles, The Vaccines, Kasabian, Blur and Yeah Yeah Yeahs are among the influences on the record, drawing together the raucous vibrancy of Brit-pop with gritty distortion. Take spotlight track, ‘This Isn’t Me’, a crystallised insight into Birds’ impression of fame during her first trip to Paris Fashion Week. Split across bittersweet guitar licks and a momentous, mood-heavy hook, Bird channels a sense of hesitancy and disassociation towards her success, unveiling one of her most cutting performances yet. Ana Lamond INTERVIEW

Maggie Rogers – Don’t Forget Me

If Maggie Rogers’ 2022 album ‘Surrender’ was thorough, pored-over, and maximalist in detail, then this year’s ‘Don’t Forget Me’ is the opposite; sketch-like, at times deliberately rough, Rogers cites the photography of Linda McCartney as a key point of reference. Songs that attempt to pin down wriggly, half-defined emotions, ‘Don’t Forget Me’ is a wonderfully succinct burst of creativity. Each note feels necessary, each word feels heartfelt – in chipping away at the excess to reveal these personal snapshots, Maggie Rogers has unlocked something very special indeed. Robin Murray REVIEW

Cat Burns – early twenties

Conducting a sound that bridges the gap between early Beyoncé and Paramore, on her debut album ‘early twenties’, Cat Burns is able to make even her saddest moments danceable. From ‘people pleaser’ to ‘low self-esteem’ to ‘some things don’t last forever,’ the certified hit-maker brings hope to even the most emotionally-laden tracks. Yet the sentiment that shines through most is the feeling of togetherness, acceptance and love. On ‘know that you’re not alone’, Burns channels a mid-twenties crisis as she sings “the years are catching up on me.” Still, the more important message of empathy and understanding is the main takeaway that powers on.Lauren Dehollogne REVIEW

Rema – ELEVATOR

11 tracks, no filler. Only a handful of guests, and all of them close to Rema. ‘HEIS’ feels like his true testament, his autobiography, unfiltered and true. ‘MARCH AM’ is a blasting opener, a statement of muscular ambition that refuses to kowtow to expectations. ‘AZAMAN’ ratchets the energy up even further, while the delirious ‘HEHEHE’ merges braggadocio to wicked afrobeats production to create something infectious but also unsettling – Rema wants you on the edge of your seat, permanently. Closing with the mighty ‘VILLAIN’ and the electrifying, wholly anthemic ‘NOW I KNOW’, this is a record that demands your attention with its whiplash velocity. Distinct from his2022 debut ‘Rave & Roses’,this feels uncompromising, and new. ‘HEIS’ is the work of an artist emboldened, and undimmed. Robin Murray REVIEW

St. Vincent – All Born Screaming

While it’s not a controversial take to say St. Vincent doesn’t have a bad album, her latest set, ‘All Born Screaming’, sees Anne Erin Clark back in domineering form. There’s not a second wasted on the album’s taut track list. The songwriter manages to balance her teenage inspirations simultaneously, go back to basicsandbreak new ground all at once. Bowie soared highest when being his freaky little self. The same can be said of Clark, whose songs come alight when icy beauty and danger go for a dance. A staggering return.Sam Walker-SmartREVIEW

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